Her Knight in Shining Armor
by CaNaDaLoVeR1812
Summary: Atsuko Ogawa is new to the streets of Ikebukuro, and one night, on her way home from her night job, she gets attacked by the Yellow Scarves, only to be saved by a blond Knight in Shining Armor. First story, be gentle, unsure of rating, open to ideas/help!
1. Chapter 1

Fear, that was all that was going through her heart, her mind, that and the fact that she was probably going to die, all because she had to open her stupid mouth and stand up for that meek, bespectacled girl. What the hell was she doing in that alleyway, alone to begin with, anyway? This was a dangerous city. Atsuko knew that, and she'd only lived there for a month! Oh, where were cops when you needed them? Of course, they're right behind you when you _accidentally_ miss the trashcan, but when a woman is being chased down the street but not just one or two thugs, but close to five or six-she hadn't stopped to count-cops seem to be on the complete opposite side of the city.

_Shit, please, not now,_ Atsuko thought as her feet began to slow down. Suddenly, a park type of place came into view, with what looked like a jungle gym built on a tree in the center. If she could speed up just a bit she might be able to hide in their while they thought she had gone on! Just as that though entered her head, her shoelace came undone, and she fell flat on her face. _Of course…_

"Hey, there she is, get 'er!" Atsuko heard a male's voice yell, and she knew she was in for the beating of a lifetime, when she smelled cigarette smoke… Wait, was someone there with her? Please, let them be able to help her!

"Please," she said looking towards the smell, not seeing anyone there, "if there is anyone there, please help me." She knew she sounded pathetic, but at that moment, she didn't care, she just wanted help. As she got up, about to start running again, the first blow came in contact with her ribcage, which was confirmed with a sickening crack. The next thing she felt was he head being pulled up by her hair, until she was standing completely, her knees buckling in fright. She kept her eyes shut tight, not wanting to see anything, and if she could, she'd block off her sense of smell, as well, because she didn't want to smell that there was in fact someone there who could get help.

"Now, you little bitch, why don't you repeat what you said back in that alley when we were trying to talk to that pretty little school girl?" asked the one who was holding her by the hair, his breath was like death, as though he hadn't brushed his teeth in weeks. It seemed as though he was the leader of the small gang. When Atsuko gave no reply, however, the man holding her grabbed her cheek and forced her to look at him.

Now, being forced to look at her attackers, she noticed they were all wearing yellow, not just yellow shirts or stuff like that, but scarves, bandanas, and random bits everywhere. Oh, shiiiiit. Out of all the gangs to be caught by, she had to be caught by the Yellow Scarves.

"Now, maybe we won't have to hurt you, if you do a little something for us, if you know what I'm askin' for, girlie," the main scumbag said, his lip curling.

Overcome with rage, and forgetting for a split second her position in this scuffle, Atsuko acted in impulse and did what she thought any girl would do. She spit in his face, a big fat wad, too, not like what most girls would be able to produce. Hideaki would be so proud.

The next thing Atsuko saw all happened in a blur. The man she spit on slapped her hard across the face, letting her fall to the ground. Her hands out to stop and break her fall, she felt a kick to her stomach, a kick to her butt, and two sets of arms begin to hold her now still form to the ground. Her eyes closed as a few more well-placed blows were aimed at her already fragile body. This time, instead of fear registering through her mind, she was a blank slate, she felt light headed, and worry. What will happen to Hideaki without her? Where will he go? And with whom? He was five, and she was all he had, and vice versa, he wouldn't understand this, he would just think that another person had abandoned him.

Just as the thought of that poor boy being all alone in the world entered Atsuko's head, the hands holding her down were ripped rather painfully from her body, yelps of fear sounded so loud, it made her ears ring. What was going on? Curiosity got the best of her, and she opened her eyes, and the sight that greeted her was one that would be engraved in her memory forever. She saw a tall blond haired man in a uniform of sorts beating the living shit out of the men who had previously been doing the same to her. It was a sight that she enjoyed with vengeful delight.

"People like you piss me off!" the blond man roared, grabbing one man by the scruff of his neck and throwing him further away than Atsuko thought humanly possible. Another came up behind him, yelling like a mad man, only to be punched in the face so hard he flew over Atsuko and into the jungle gym tree. After that, all the other men seemed to realize that their attempts at fighting the blond man were fruitless, and ran away with their tails between their legs.

The blond was breathing heavily, his shoulders hunched, his knuckles white from being clenched so tight. Who-or rather, what-was this man?

Atsuko felt a little awkward lying there on the ground, while he was just a few feet away, so she unsteadily clambered to her feet, dusted herself off, and cleared her throat timidly.

"Ahem, er, um, hi?" She squeaked. Out of all the ways to speak to her rescuer, and she _squeaked_. Clearing her throat once more, as though to dispel any lingering things caught in her throat, she tried again, "Hello, thank you so much for saving me just now…"

At last the blond looked over his shoulder at the small girl behind him. She seemed timid, but not afraid. Her long dark hair was sticking up in odd places, and her clothes were now in shambles. In response to her thanks, he grunted and nodded in her direction, to which she visibly sweat dropped. This was her knight in shining armor?

_Oh, well, beggers can't be choosers, might as well make small talk to see if he can help me understand where I am._ "Uh, I'm Atsuko Ogawa, and you are…?"

"Shizuo Heiwajima."


	2. Chapter 2

After pleasantries were made (mainly from Atsuko), Shizuo agreed to take Atsuko back to the main part of the city, after he seemed to realize that a girl her size, with her lack of knowledge on the geography of a dangerous city like Ikebukuro wasn't really a good idea. So now the two were walking through a pretty shockingly empty street, safer, but definitely more creepy.

"Sooooo, Shizuo, what did you say you do for a living, again?" Atsuko tried to fill the somewhat awkward silence, and find out a bit more about this mystery man who was randomly in the park right when she was being attacked.

"I work for a friend of mine from middle school," Shizuo replied, stuffing his hands deep in his pockets and hunching over a bit. A few moments ticked by before he gave in and looked over-or rather down-at the messy looking girl beside him. She was looking at him expectantly, her expression telling him "Just tell me what your job is." Shizuo gave a sigh and tried again, "This friend of mine gives out loans, and I kind of enforce the repayment."

"Oh, that sounds interesting. Well, a lot better than what I do every day of my life," Atsuko frowned as she said that last part, her posture slumping over, a tired look coming over her. "Just typing all day at a computer and dealing with snobs who think they're so much better than me."

"What do you do?"

"Secretary for some high rise attorney who can't keep it in his pants. It seems like every day I have to give a call to his wife giving some lame excuse why he can't make it to their son's graduation, or their anniversary dinner, when he's in his office with the flavor of the week… sometimes flavor of the hour," came her grumbled reply. After a moment of getting no answer, she stole a glance and saw that he was looking at her with an odd expression, as though she had just said something completely random.

"Uh, I take it you don't like your boss," Shizuo said, lightly smirking.

"Like I said, jerk can't keep it in his pants, I think that should be enough said. Well, that and the pay sucks. I can hardly afford food for Hideaki and myself."

"Hideaki? Your boyfriend?" the blond asked. _Hey, maybe I'm getting somewhere with this guy! He's actually participating in the conversation!_

"Hideaki? My boyfriend? Sorry, I'm not into pedophilia. Hideaki's my little brother, and he's turning five in a week," Atsuko laughed, trying to imagine herself with a boyfriend at all.

This response made the imposing man beside her blush a little, and readjust his sunglasses on the bridge of his nose. "Sorry for asking."

"Don't be, I just couldn't help but laugh," Atsuko couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand.

"Uh, so, where do you want me to take you, anyway?" Shizuo asked, clearing his throat.

"If it's at all possible, my apartment, I'm not really about to trust any of the streets, ya know?" _And the longer I keep you talking, maybe I'll find out what took you so long to get to me when I could clearly smell your cigarette smoke._

And so they just kept walking, with her asking random questions about him. She found out that he, too, had a younger brother, but his was only a year or two younger than him, other than that, he wouldn't touch on the subject of family too much. He also turned out to be only a year older than her, which Shizuo seemed to find really unbelievable.

"Wait, you mean you're 22? But you look like you're 17! I mean, look at you! How can you be a full grown woman?" Shizuo's eyes were wide, his glasses had slipped down the bridge of his nose, and for the second time, Atsuko had got him to actively participate in a conversation.

"What do you mean by that?" Atsuko was used to people making that assumption, but she never could understand why. Sure, she was short, and she still had those chubby squirrel-like cheeks, but didn't a lot of people?

"Well, you're about 4 foot nothing, your hair is sticking up in odd places, and your sweater looks like it was worn by a man 5 times your size," Shizuo reasoned. And he was right, her sweater was her father's and she wore it every night over her ordinary clothes in place of a jacket, and yes, her hair was a tad askew, but who had time to keep it perfect twenty-four/seven?

"I'll have you know I stand at four foot eleven inches! Four foot nothing, my butt!" Atsuko grumbled. This guy was different once you got him surprised, but he still didn't really exclaim like the way most people do, he still said everything in that somehow rugged voice of his.

After he got over his initial shock at her age-and height-their conversation went back to her random questions as she tried to surprise him again, and Atsuko couldn't help but wonder why she wanted to know so much about him. She did like puzzles, and Shizuo Heiwajima looked like a puzzle Atsuko wanted to piece together. But no matter how much she found out about him, all those things just were so trivial in what made him, _him._

Eventually, the two made it to her front door, and she was just about to say farewell when the door burst open and an ecstatic four year old tackled Atsuko to the ground, wrapping his arms around her frame.

"Atsukooooooooo! What took you so looong?" Hideaki whined after he stopped his one-man dog pile.

"Sorry, kiddo, I just got held up at the office, I didn't mean to make you worry, Hideaki," Atsuko pulled him up with her, ruffling his messy, damp hair. Good, the babysitter had him take his bath and get ready to be put to bed by Atsuko.

"I'm sorry, Miss Ogawa, he just really wanted to get the door when he heard people at the door, he said he knew it was you," said the babysitter, having got her stuff ready to head back to her apartment right down the hall.

"It's fine, and thank you so much for watching him, really, it helps a lot," Atsuko said, waving the girl down the hall as she leaves.

Hideaki seemed to notice that there was one extra person coming home tonight, and he made it known to his sister that he approved, "Atsuko, is this your boyfriend? He looks so cool!"

Both adults blushed and sweat dropped, "Uh, no, this is Shizuo, he just was walking me home, the streets aren't safe at this time of night, you know," covered Atsuko quickly. She didn't want her baby brother to worry about her, but she had to make up something believable, and not technically a lie.

"I should be going. I have some things to do around town," Shizuo said, as he began to walk away, his hand in a still wave.

"See ya around, Shizuo," Atsuko said as she and Hideaki waved back at his retreating back.

"Hey, Atsuko? Are you going to see Shizuo again? I hope so, he looks sad, he must need a friend or two," the young boy said, holding onto his sisters shoulders, and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

But Atsuko hardly heard him, she just couldn't help but think of the way Shizuo avoided anything pertaining to family all night, from not talking about his parents or much about his brother, to backing away the moment Atsuko and Hideaki started acting like a brother and sister should. Happy and close.

She really had to figure out the puzzle Shizuo Heiwajima posed.

**AN: Sorry if Shizuo seemed OOC in this, but I couldn't really think of a way to get them closer since the first chapter. Well, that, and I was writing this on half a brain and no dinner. Tell me what you think, please, and I'm up for any suggestions. All the other characters will be introduced in the next 1-3 chapters…**


	3. Chapter 3

Atsuko was bored halfway to death. She had nothing to file, no coffee to make, and she could currently hear her boss in his office with his flavor of the day. Today it was a woman with more boob cells than brain cells. It seemed that the bigger and the more fake chested women who passed through that door for something other than legal advice were some of the dumbest girls that Atsuko ever had the displeasure of meeting. And the one that was in the office with the "player" at the time was apparently a screamer, and violent, judging by the sound of the occasional glass breaking or when they first started and she heard a loud crash and her boss give a yelp.

_Why the hell do I have to be here, again? There are no clients and I doubt he'd take any in his current situation, anyway._ Atsuko thought as she clicked open a new game of online solitaire, thinking about her boss's wife, as well. Atsuko knew she was no prize, with her oversized clothes and haystack hair. In fact, Atsuko was under the impression it was because of her appearance that the cheating attorney's wife only let her husband hire a young female secretary was because one of the few who actually qualified for the job was, in all aspects, a dork that guys just didn't notice in the way. Maybe a friend, sure, dorky tomboys made for pretty good pals, but a girlfriend? No, way, why would a guy choose a girl who looked like she lived under a rock when they could have a supermodel, or any girl who wasn't Atsuko?

This thought wasn't new in her head, but it still depressed the living shit out of her. She wanted a family, a happy one, at that. And Hideaki needed a strong male figure in his life. That brought her back to what happened almost a week ago. Hideaki had called Shizuo her boyfriend, a thought that just wouldn't leave her head. The two of them together would be absurd, wouldn't it? Who would take the advice of a four year old little boy, anyway? And her meeting Shizuo? A once a lifetime thing, she would probably never see him again. He seemed like he was busy working for his friend, and she was busy working for a male chauvinist pig and taking care of her baby brother. The chances of them running into each other again were slim and none.

Her mind far away from her solitaire game, and the lobby she was in, she didn't notice the figure walking her way, hands in his pockets.

"Ahem," said a man's voice from behind her ear, making Atsuko wheel around in her chair and elbow the man in the nose.

"Shit, sorry!" Atsuko said, kneeling down to the now bloody man on the ground. But he was laughing, and smirking, which irritated Atsuko to no end.

"Oh, no, it's quite alright, I was the one who frightened you after all, Miss…?" the man on the ground said, getting up and brushing off his fur lined jacket. His demeaning voice made Atsuko's left eye twitch.

"Is there something that you needed from this office?" Atsuko replied, ignoring his question. _This _guy _wants to know about me? Let him find out on his own, damn prideful bastard. _Atsuko had no idea why she hated this guy so quickly, she just did.

"Ah, yes, I need to see a Mr. Taniguchi? Masanori Taniguchi. I don't have any sort of appointment, but I'm sure that if you told him that an Izaya Orihara was outside waiting for him, he'd finish up with that girl in there," Izaya said with a smirk that needed to be punched off, and Atsuko's hand clenched into a fist. But, he was apparently a client of her boss, and she needed this job, and she needed it bad, so she kept her hand balled up in her sleeve and put on her best fake smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Orihara, but Mr. Taniguchi is a bit, er, indisposed of at this time, and, well,-" at that moment a rather loud and masculine moan came from behind her, in Masanori Taniguchi's office, making the small secretary face palm.

"I can wait," Izaya said, his ever-present smirk growing ever wider. Again, Atsuko had to fight the urge to hit him hard. Oh, well, she could always write what she writes whenever her boss is being a douche. _Kill Izaya. Kill Izaya. Kill Izaya. Kill Izaya, _in place of _Kill Taniguchi. Kill Taniguchi. Kill Taniguchi._ Okay, so Atsuko had anger issues, but she dealt with them without violence… usually.

Atsuko went back to her desk, and began typing away furiously at the keyboard, just that same line about that smug dark haired man in front of her, but then her mind started to wander back to Shizuo. _Some knight in shining armor he was. Well, he was sweet, in his own way. A hell of a lot better than this prick, but that's not really hard to do, now is it? Shizuo, will I ever see you again, or was that just my luck being good for the first and probably only time in my life?_ She had no idea she was actually typing what she thought, but thinking about Shizuo as her knight in shining armor made her giggle to herself, picturing him as Prince Charming Oh, yes, him riding a white horse, climbing a rope to her tower, and coming to her bedside, all the while with a lit cigarette in his mouth, an irritated look on his face. He'd pick her up and sling her on his shoulder, not bothering with the rest. Oh, yes, how very romantic.

Suddenly a little alert for a meeting with someone came up on her screen. The alert said Have Tanaka's Money Ready. And a when she clicked on it, a little side note said _Don't hide from bookie, Blondie will get you._ Her boss was in trouble with a bookie? _Shit, does this mean I might not get paid this month?_ Atsuko couldn't help but think… And then she recalled what Shizuo said he did for a living, "This friend of mine gives out loans, and I kind of enforce the repayment." So, Tanaka was Shizuo's friend/boss, and that means Blondie is Shizuo… Well, at least she gets to see her so-called knight. This thought did make Atsuko give out a quick laugh that made Izaya look up at her.

At that moment, however, a loud roar sounded in the building from the front door, "IZAYAAAAAAAAAA!" and a vending machine from outside came flying at the previously smirking man that Atsuko had just written about killing.HH


	4. Chapter 4

Izaya leaped out of the path that the vending machine at the last second. _ Damn, well, at least this means the police _probably_ won't get called in, unless Mr. Holier Than Thou decides to press charges._ But Atsuko couldn't help but feel that she knew that voice from somewhere… Oh, no.

"Well, I think that's my cue to leave, if you would tell your boss that I expect to talk to him on the next business day, regardless of his client at the time," and with that, Izaya hopped out the window and down the street, doing some admittedly impressive moves along the way.

"Shizuo, now what if the guy doesn't pay up because you destroyed half his office?" said an exasperated voice from the doorway.

"Sorry," said the tall blond man next to him, shoving his hands into his pockets to pull out a pack of cigarettes.

"Um, hey, Shizuo, long time no see," Atsuko said, stepping out from behind her desk, walking around a broken piece of doorframe.

"Oh, Atsuko, you work for this bum?" Shizuo said, gesturing to the office around him, then stopping to light the cigarette placed in his mouth.

Just then, Masanori Taniguchi and the flavor of the day burst out of his office, his shirt only partially tucked in, and her shirt was even more revealing the when she walked into the office two hours ago. Both were wide eyed, as though he expected to see his wife going she-Hulk on his lobby. But when he saw Shizuo and his friend, his eyes got even wider, a vein popping in his forehead, his face turning a dark puce color. It was funny, but Atsuko suddenly feared for Shizuo's job.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING TO MY OFFICE?"

"Mr. Taniguchi, an Izaya Orihara came by asking for you, and he appeared to have no appointment, however, these two gentlemen do, according to the alarm you put on my computer for, and a side note on that alarm made it sound as though this was a very important meeting," Atsuko said, going behind her desk, pulling up the note he had made for her and himself, and glanced at the clock. 4:50, only ten minutes until closing time. She didn't want to have to stay any extra time in that man's office, unless she was getting paid more, that is. But telling the truth seemed to be her best course of action, even with getting her "knight" out of trouble.

"Oh, uh," Taniguchi said, as sweat began to form at his temple, "Well, Mr. Tanaka, Mr. Heiwajima, please, come on in, don't wprry about the damage, nothing we can't take care of, Ms. Ogawa?" That was her boss' way of saying _You're not going anywhere yet._

Atsuko, heaving a sigh, said, "Please follow me into the next room, sirs, I believe Mr. Taniguchi has some business to attend to for a moment out here."

So Atsuko did her good little secretary bit, her head inkling towards the ground all because her boss couldn't just keep it in his pants until after he was done with work. She wished that she could kick him straight in the baby makers so that he wouldn't have anything to keep in his pants, but she really needed this job, even though the pay was crap and the work was crappier. If it were up to her, like if she didn't need to eat or have a roof over her head, she would have spit Taniguchi in the face and quit a long time ago. But then, Atsuko always assumed, most people thought that way about their bosses, maybe even Shizuo. Wait, no, his boss was an old friend, and he got to let out his anger on men like Taniguchi on a daily basis.

"So, you work for Taniguchi?" Shizuo asked once they were in the office, his cigarette never leaving his mouth, leaning against the wall behind him, hands deep in his pocket.

"Unfortunately, yes. But, for the most part, it's honest work. That is, until he asks me to call up his wife and lie to her about her husband's whereabouts," Atsuko said, sitting in what she considered "the secretary's chair". It was in the corner behind his desk and was usually where she wrote out what to write in letters and bills to clients.

"You two know each other?" the other bespectacled man asked, looking between the two.

"Shizuo saved me a few days ago from the yellow scarves. I told him I work for an asshole, and I guess I work for an asshole with financial troubles, but I guess we all are," Atsuko said, smiling briefly at the blond man who turned his head and readjusted his glasses.

"Well, sorry about your boss. I don't think that this will work out for you tonight, though, this guy doesn't seem to have our money, and no money usually means Shizuo has to deal with him," Tanaka said.

"Well, I guess I'll have to put in for overtime at my other job until I find another long time employer. Hopefully, the next boss won't be like the current boss," Atsuko said cheerfully, without a care in the world, but on the inside she was jumping up and down in both anger and happiness due to the fact that she might to have to work for Masanori Taniguchi anymore, but she will also be largely unemployed…again.

"Sorry," was all that Shizuo said, his head still turned to the side, ash falling from his now-dying cigarette. This made Tanaka take a better look at his friend, and if he didn't know better, he would say that the strongest man in Ikebukuro was blushing.

Atsuko saw Tanaka begin to smile after glancing between her and Shizuo, but before she could ask if he was alright, her boss came in, his face pale but sweating profusely.

"Atsuko, would you wait outside until I call you back in. These gentlemen and I have some business to discuss." AS she left, Atsuko caught Shizuo's eye and rolled her own at him.

An hour passed before any sort of action came from the her boss' office, and it was her boss being thrown through the door. Curious, Atsuko peeked from her desk to find Shizuo on the other end, hunched over, breathing heavily_. Just like he had when he saved me_.

It took him a moment to notice her, and when he did, he walked through the hole in the door and stopped a ways away from her, not saying anything.

"So, I guess I have to go job hunting tomorrow? Heh heh heh, Atsuko laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. When no one said anything she tried again, "Well, at least he had it coming to him."

"What do you mean, I don't think that anything can justify being thrown through a fucking door," Shizuo said bitterly, to which Atsuko laughed for real.

"I don't know, the guy cheated on his wife of twenty-five years, who had had his kids and another on the way, so I think that if there ever was a guy to be thrown through a door, it was him," Atsuko smiled as she said this, crossing over to her knight and putting a hand on his shoulder, and when she did, he flinched, something that didn't go unnoticed by the girl who was half his size.

"Ahem, so Ms. Ogawa, was it? Would you like for us to walk you home, the Yellow Scarves and the Blue Squares have been even worse than usual. I'm sure that Shizuo wouldn't mind walking you, either," Tanaka said, and judging by the gleam in his eyes, he was up to something. Shizuo noticed this to, and just as he was about to say something, Tanaka continued, "Besides, even if those guys weren't around, there's still the random mugging that happens around here, right Shizuo?"

Shizuo nodded, his eyes glowering at his "friend". "C'mon," he said, turning towards the door. Atsuko nodded, grabbing her bag, nodding at Tom Tanaka, and sprinted off towards Shizuo.

After catching up with his long strides, she smiled up at him and said, "And here I thought I'd never get to thank you properly for helping me out. And now you gave me the help to escape that hellhole."

No answer, not even a grunt.

"Anyway, as a thank you, how about you have dinner with my younger brother, Hideaki, and me? It'll just have to be some stir fry, but you look like you could use a nice meal," she said, wanting to get to know him better.

"Sure, stir fry sounds good." As he said this he smiled a little, glanced down, and saw that she was still smiling up at him, skipping happily.


	5. Chapter 5

When the two made it back to her apartment-again-Shizuo couldn't help but remember what happened after the last time he walked her home.

_**OoOoOoOo After Shizuo Left Atsuko's Building OoOoOoOo**_

_ "Damn," Shizuo said the moment he was out of the building. That little family in there, her family, was too happy for him. They had so little but the moment her little brother came flying at her, she smiled as though there was nothing to worry about. She was lucky, but she had a horrible job, lived in a building that should be condemned, and had to support a four year old kid. And she acted so carefree. What was it about that odd looking girl that made her unforgettable?_

_ Shizuo was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't realize that he had walked right into someone's bike._

_ "Oh, sorry, Celty. Didn't see you there," Shizuo said, not really paying attention to what he was saying._

_ "Are you alright? You seem preoccupied," Celty typed into her cellphone, showing him what she wrote._

_ "Yeah, just this girl I just had to walk home is all," he replied._

_ If Celty had a face, she 'd be smiling. The strongest man in Ikebukuro just walked a girl home, and was thinking about her? "Did you ask her out?" Celty couldn't help but type in rapidly, excited for her friend._

_ "No, I probably won't see her again, either. I just had to help her out when she got in trouble with the Yellow Scarves. I walked her home, met her baby brother, he called me her boyfriend, and she apologized, thanked me, and I left," he said, though he knew that what he said wasn't all. He'd also run away when he saw how easily she seemed to play around with her brother. Why couldn't he have that relationship with his family? Sure, Kasuka and he didn't hate each other, in fact they were pretty cool as far as brothers went. But his parents pretty much turned a blind eye to him when he was a kid, and when he turned eighteen they stopped talking to him altogether. But the first thing she did when the door opened, was swing her baby brother around and laughed, while making sure he was ready to be tucked in by her. _

_ "Celty seemed to sense that he was holding back and typed simply, "Next time you see her, make sure it is far from the last. Take up any offer she gives."_

_oOoOoOoOo Present oOoOoOoOo_

So Shizuo took Celty's advice and accepted her offer for dinner. He had to admit, he was curious about her home and her life. And the closer that they got to her home, the happier she was, and the higher she would skip. Shizuo wanted to tell her that skipping wasn't the best idea, it made her skirt fly up a little and that made guys heads turn, which angered Shizuo for some reason.

"Hey, if you keep skipping like that, you'll attract a lot of unwanted attention," he said as though he didn't care if she stopped or kept it up, he didn't want to be like the rest of the guys around them and just ogle her. She may be a little weird looking wearing an oversized sweater, knee length pleated skirt, and sneakers. She didn't exactly look professional, especially since her hair was even more wild than his, but she was still a grown woman with curves, and he was a grown man with eyes.

Catching his drift, she stopped skipping, instead swinging her arms like a little kid. _She's pretty childish…_ Shizuo thought to himself, but in a way her naïvetés was cute in a way, and made him smile a little.

Soon enough, they were in front of her door once again, and he was getting nervous, he'd never been invited to a girl's house for dinner. He had to remind himself that this wasn't a date, she just wanted to thank him for saving her. _And after this I probably really won't ever see her again. If I see her on the street, at most she'll nod politely because she's too nice to completely ignore me. But she won't smile at me again. I'm surprised she can smile at me even after I threw her boss through a door,_Shizuo thought. And with this in mind, he would make sure that she wouldn't regret having him for dinner.

"So, here we are, let me open the door and pay the babysitter, and I'll get to starting dinner," Atsuko said, taking out her key and opening the door. The sight that greeted the two, however, seemed to tick off the small girl in front of him.

Toys were scattered everywhere, paper airplanes were flown haphazardly on bookshelves, and bags of junk food littered the ground. Two young boys were in the center of it all, the babysitter trying her best to clean what she could. Hideaki was on the ground, crying his eyes out while the boy above him seemed to be laughing.

"What is going on here?" Atsuko said, looking the teenaged babysitter in the eye, and in response Shizuo saw the younger girl cower a bit.

"Hideaki just said that a friend was coming over, so I brought them here, the two started watching TV, so I did some homework. I guess I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I saw, well, this going on, I'm so Sorry, Ms. Ogawa," the girl looked down as she said this last part, seemingly finding her foot interesting.

"It's alright, I'll finish cleaning, but as an apology, why don't you take the boy home, I don't think Hideaki will want him over som much right now," Atsuko said, crossing her arms and looking down at her weeping brother and the laughing unknown boy.

"Yes, um, sure, I'll do that right now, Ms. Ogawa, so, will I see you and Hideaki tomorrow?" the girl asked, wondering if she still even had a job come tomorrow.

"I'm not even sure if I'll need you after school anymore, I might be staying home for a while, but as for the weekends, yes, you still have a job," Atsuko said, already making progress on the mess. Shizuo felt bad, watching her clean while he was just standing there and the babysitter was leaving, so he made his way over to Hideaki to try to calm the young boy down.

"Uh, erm, hey. Just calm down. What happened?" Shizuo asked, clearly embarrassed.

Hideaki, sensing this said, "So you and my big sis are going out?" The boy immediately stopped crying, but Atsuko seemed not have heard her younger brother's question.

_I really should have seen this coming, _Shizuo thought to himself. "I'm not your sister's boyfriend, I doubt she would see me like that. She just invited me to dinner, if you, er, don't mind."

The young boy shook his head that no, he didn't mind. As the last of his tears dried up, the last of the toys were put away, and Atsuko sighed happily, put her hands on her hips and said, "And that's that. Now, time to start supper, Hideaki, why don't you set the table? Shizuo, you can watch TV or help me out with dinner." Shizuo opted to help her, he wanted to know her, and while helping her cook, maybe she'd talk a bit more about herself.

What Shizuo didn't know, however, was that Atsuko listened to music when she cooked, and often moved or sang along a little. She usually listened to rock, or punk if she felt like it, her favorite was AC/DC, their raw energy helped her let out her own aggressive tendencies, and reminded her of when she was a teenager living in a city much like Ikebukuro.

As luck would have it, AC/DC was still in her cd player, and it was her favorite album, Highway to Hell, her favorite singer's last album. Listening to it made her love the band even more, too. And the songs on that particular album were the best to sing along with. Especially Girls Got Rhythm.

"I've been around the world  
>I've seen a million girls<br>But ain't one of them got  
>What my lady she's got" Atsuko hummed along while Shizuo took a moment to watch her and wonder what she was listening to.<p>

"She's stealin' the spotlight  
>Knocks me off my feet<br>She's enough to start a landslide  
>Just a walkin' down the street<br>Wearing dresses so tight  
>And looking dynamite," she began to sway along to, even though this type of song wasn't much of a dance song, and more of a minor headbanging song, it was still dun to move along with. Shizuo's jaw dropped as he continued to watch and listen… This went on for the rest of the song, and Atsuko managed to maneuver through the kitchen with ease even though Shizuo was just watching from the middle of it all. Hideaki watched the two of them with a wide smile on his face. It looked as though he would be getting a father figure of sorts sooner than he originally thought.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Though Shizuo had no idea what most family meals were like, he was pretty sure that food fights were never part of a normal dinner, even though he was currently helping Atsuko clean up the remnants of the intense battle Hideaki had started, and managed to get both adults to participate in. In fact, Shizuo was still a bit confused on how he got warped into teaming up against the hyper little boy with his equally enthusiastic sister. So now, here he was, at the sink with his head under the faucet while Atsuko attempted to get the pudding she had made for dessert out of his hair.

"Eh, guess you never expected to have brown hair again, Shizuo?" Atsuko asked nervously. She hoped that he wouldn't be mad about the pudding that Hideaki flung at him. Well, at least it didn't get on the white button up part of his bartender get up.

"Not this way," Shizuo said, trying to crack his neck from being in the same position for a while, especially since that positing had his spine and neck bent so far down due to his height and the small sink. After he said this, he heard a sigh.

"Sorry," came a quiet reply from above him. After a moment he was pulled back up, his back cracking and his neck moving this way and that, as water dripped from his hair, only for it to be covered with a kitchen towel.

Shizuo dried his hair and glanced up, noticing that Atsuko was still there, but her baggy, stretched out sweater was missing, leaving her in only a black camisole. She was leaning against the kitchen counter, her arms crossed, head back, and legs slightly stretched out in front of her. She looked worn out and tired. _When the hell did that happen?_ Shizuo thought.

"Uh, so, do you need anymore help cleaning up?" Shizuo felt obliged to ask; he didn't want to say good-bye just yet, he felt like he should be here if she needs it, and, judging by her current appearance, she shouldn't be left alone for a moment.

"No, I think that we've got everything, anything that we did miss will just be mopped up tomorrow when I clean house. But you're more than welcome to stay for a movie, if you don't mind me changing to some pajamas, though," Atsuko said, a soft smile returning to her face, as Shizuo's began to grow red. He would see a girl in her pajamas, and from the things Tom told him about women's sleepwear, it was often very skimpy. Shizuo could feel a nosebleed coming on. But Celty's words came back to mind, "_Take up any offer she gives._" So Shizuo nodded his head, trying in vain to hide the blush he could feel rising to his cheeks, and making Atsuko's smile broaden, "Great, why don't you pick the movie, I'll be right back!" And with that she spun around to a part of the apartment Shizuo had yet to venture to, where Atsuko's bedroom was.

Snapping out of his daze, he moved back to the living room and noticed that Hideaki was grinning from ear to ear, having heard what his sister just said. Shizuo sighed, his face getting even hotter.

"So, I guess I'm going to be put to bed in ten minutes, it's almost eight-thirty, my bed time. You and Atsuko get to watch a movie, like a date," Hideaki said, his grin stretching even more, his eyes gleaming. The older man couldn't help but wonder why this kid thought like Shinra, about his own older sister.

Luckily for Shizuo Atsuko called from her bedroom, "Hideaki, bedtime! Now!" Hideaki gave a disgruntled little noise, hopped off the couch and padded towards the same hallway Atsuko was down, probably his room. He heard Atsuko put the youngster to bed, a door closed, and feet padding back to him.

"I couldn't find where your movies were…" Shizuo said, keeping his eyes averted, but wanting to peek at what she was wearing. Temptation gave out when he heard her move closer to him, reaching behind the TV. _…What was I expecting? She's the same girl who wears an oversized sweater and_ _sneakers to work at a law office._ Indeed, she wasn't wearing a nightgown, or short shorts as pajamas, but boys gym shorts and an oversized baseball tee with slippers, her hair still in a messy mop around her shoulders.

"Here ya go, why don't you pick one?" she said, handing him a giant binder filled with mainly horror movies, comedies, and action. Not one romantic movie, something that relieved Shizuo greatly. In the end he picked a movie called Hostel, and Atsuko eagerly put it in, apparently she really loved it.

The movie disturbed Shizuo, as it would most people, but he couldn't help but notice when Atsuko shrunk a little further into the couch cushions, so far, actually, she eventually had to start inching towards him, but not by much. He noticed that she never once turned away, closed her eyes, or jumped. In fact, other than moving closer to him, you'd think that watching people be tortured didn't affect her at all.

After the movie was done, Atsuko and Shizuo's hands were touching, but nothing else. Shizuo's eyes were starting to fall, and he felt like he just wanted to pass out, and, since the couch was so old, it was rather comfortable, and he felt something warm wrap around him. He closed his eyes fully, and heard a light giggle come from somewhere above him before the couch settled beside him and a small amount of pressure was added to his shoulder.

Opening his eyes, he turned his head slowly to a mop of black under his nose, he smelt green apples. Atsuko fell asleep against him, and when he tried to wake her up by wiggling his shoulder, he found that she was knocked out, dead to the world. It was the most awkward position he'd ever been in, but the warmest he'd felt in a long time. And for the first time he didn't go to bed alone, and it was the nicest feeling he'd had.

Until he heard a loud laugh that came from the direction of the bedrooms. Sighing, he shook his head and readjusted himself in a more comfortable position, closed his eyes, and fell asleep himself. He would deal with the awkwardness in the seemed


	7. Chapter 7

The first thought that ran through Atsuko's mind was that she just had the greatest nights sleep that she's had since she was 14, and even then she had to use sleep aid. And why wouldn't she have slept well when her Knight in Shining Armor was her pillow? She still clearly remembered how after placing the blanket over Shizuo, he just looked so peaceful for the first time since she met him, that she decided to sit next to him, maybe falling asleep next to some guy that she had met only a few times before wasn't the wisest idea she's ever had, but Atsuko just felt that Shizuo wouldn't try anything.

Suddenly she felt shifting under her signaling that her Knight was awake, as well. After a moment the shifting stopped and a low guttural groan was heard._I guess he isn't much of a morning person._ She felt a weight that she hadn't noticed before be taken from her shoulder, making her lose some of the warmth the tall blond man beside her gave. Apparently during the night sometime he had wrapped his arm around her, and with this realization, Atsuko blushed, that was the sweetest gesture she had ever gotten from a man.

"Er, Atsuko, are you awake?" Shizuo whispered, nudging her with his elbow and breaking Atsuko's moment of heart fluttering happiness.

"Yeah, what time is it, though?" Atsuko asked, still not opening her eyes, and burrowing further into Shizuo's side, trying to get warm again.

"Five-thirty, uh, do you need to get up?" Shizuo seemed to get warmer when she snuggled closer, and his voice was still just a whisper.

"No, just go back to sleep, it's too early to do anything, and can you please share some of the blanket, the heater in this unit doesn't exactly work, you know?" Atsuko said, turning her head back into Shizuo, and he obliged, pulling the blanket up a bit to her chin before putting his arm back where it was when he was sleeping, though he did it hesitantly, like he was expecting her to move away from his touch. Instead of backing away, Atsuko sighed and smiled, and soon she felt Shizuo relax beside her.

One thing that did bother Atsuko, though, was the way her heart was beating, almost like she had just run a marathon, when she was just sleeping. She felt like she got this way whenever Shizuo looked her in the eye, but it was worse now that she was in his arms, with him reciprocating the cuddle. _Wait, is that what we're doing? Cuddling? But only couples cuddle!_ Atsuko felt like she was about to have a panic attack by the suddenly suffocating embrace. She began to take deeper breaths to calm herself down, she didn't want Shizuo to know what was going on inside her head.

Atsuko had a sudden memory of when she lived with her parents. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and it was long before Hideaki was born. She was 12 at the time, and her parents still didn't know what they were doing, she was just waiting until she could leave. When she asked her father why he married and had her, he told her that he was and still is blinded by love for her mother. He said that he didn't think that having a child would make that big of a difference in his life, but it did, and he regretted ever getting married. A year later he Atsuko found him hanging by his belt from the ceiling fan in her room, a letter addressed to her, telling her he was sorry and that he wished that his heart could keep beating for her, even though it stopped beating for her mother a long time ago, that love isn't forever, but fleeting. A year after that, Atsuko left for Ikebukoro. She worked, went to school, and went home. She didn't have a social life, never conversed with anyone, and couldn't sleep through the night. When she was seventeen she got a letter from her a hospital from the same town where she lived with her family, her mother and her boyfriend had gotten into a car crash while he was drinking and yelling at her. He took his eyes off the road for only a moment when it happened. Both died in the hospital, but just they managed to cut a baby from her mother, a baby boy. As the only living relative of the infant, Atsuko was granted custody, but was under constant watch by people who would take the baby away from her. But Atsuko cared for her baby brother as a mother; she even gave him his name, with the last name of her father, Hideaki Ogawa.

To this day, however, love frightened her, but she fought for it, to keep it. Her maternal love for Hideaki was what kept her going when times were tough, and now her blossoming feelings for Shizuo were making her realize that when her father's letter said that his love for her mother ran out, he meant that it wasn't real love. She believed love could never run out, and if her father had known this, then he wouldn't have killed himself. And if she was beginning to think that what that flutter in her heart were the stirrings of romance, than she would be open to it, but it wouldn't consume her. And she wouldn't jump up to say right away that it was love. No one can learn to love someone like that just so suddenly, they just mistook infatuation for love.

With this in mind, she decided this would be far from the last time Shizuo stayed for dinner. Maybe he would want the same as her. Atsuko hoped beyond hope that he would, and that he would be the one to initiate the next meeting, and possibly call it a date, not just hanging out.

She had no idea how long she had been thinking over her new found feelings until she heard sprinting coming closer and a small weight landed on her and Shizuo with and loud laugh.

"Morning, Atsukoooo! Morning, Shizuoooo!" Hideaki yelled. Atsuko felt that being this broth eyed and bushy tailed in the morning should be outlawed, but maybe that was the lack of coffee in her system talking.

"Good morning, Hideaki, now can you please get off? I'm sure Shizuo doesn't appreciate your usual morning greeting," Atsuko said, getting out of Shizuo's embrace and stretching her sore muscles, and instantly missing his warmth.

When Shizuo heard his name he woke for the second time that morning and gave a mumbled response, a slight frown coming over again. But when his eyes opened to see Atsuko with Hideaki wrapped in her arms, both with identical grins on, and he smiled in response. To Atsuko this was the best Hallmark moment she'd ever experienced; this would definitely have to happen more, for as long as Shizuo would make her heart flutter, he would have a spot on her couch any night.

**AN: So, I gave a little insight into Atsuko's past, how she came to be the one to care for her brother, and a little bit into why she never really has people over. This isn't my favorite chapter that I've done… But I would still love to thank everyone who has reviewed/favorited/added this story to their alerts. To those who have commented, it means so much to me, really, and to be honest, they're the reasons that I haven't taken this story down out of shame and lack of confidence. So thank you TMNTLittleTomboy, The Lifeless girl, theVERYCONFUSEDgirl, and (Claire). Please, I love to read everyone's reviews, and I would love any suggestions for the story or any requests for a new one (please no yaoi/yuri-I suck at writing those) So…thank you so much!**


	8. Chapter 8

It had been two weeks since Shizuo had spent the night at Atsuko's house, and he could still recall what happened after the two of them walked Hideaki to school, while he held his big sisters hand and tried to hold onto Shizuo's hand. For the first time in his life, Hideaki felt like his family was complete. His sister seemed happy, truly happy, for the first time in a long time, and Shizuo was the coolest big brother Hideaki could want. And walking to school with them made him feel just like all the other kids whose parents walked them to school.

In the two weeks since that night, Shizuo had spent almost every night having dinner with Atsuko and Hideaki, often sleeping on the couch after watching TV with Atsuko, and every so often Atsuko would fall asleep on top of him, not even bothering to sit up and forcing Shizuo to lie down with her. Hideaki would often come in sometime during midnight after a nightmare and squeeze between the two, and when they woke chaos would ensue. In all, walking Atsuko home from her brand new job as a waitress and then joining her and her brother for dinner had become something like a routine, and a rather pleasant one at that. But both adults were still a bit unsure of what it was they had, and still they had yet to kiss, something that plagued Atsuko's dreams at night, especially with him sleeping right by her.

And now, Shizuo was dreading the weekend. Shinra had called saying that it was his and Celty's anniversary of living together all these years. Shizuo did have to give it to Celty-anyone who could put up with Shinra for about twenty years deserved a trophy of some sort. And since it was a party for friends of the "couple", Shizuo was told to bring someone, or, as Shinra had put it, he would be stuck being the only one without a date. When Shinra said that Shizuo was dateless, Celty made it a little worse-or better, depending on your point of view-and told Shinra about Atsuko. This prompted Shinra to go on about there being someone out there for everyone, and how some people always thought that for Shizuo it would be Izaya, which, in turn, made Shizuo try to murder one of his few friends. So now, Shinra and Celty gave him an ultimatum, either ask Atsuko to the party, or Celty would personally drag the two of them to the party, and tell Atsuko all the wonderful things Shizuo's told them about her, including how he enjoyed watching and listening to her while she was asleep, or how he liked to fall asleep with her beside him. Now, all of that was true, but that didn't mean Atsuko needed to know all that.

Shizuo thought all of this over as he waited outside Atsuko's small diner just before her shit ended. He pulled out a cigarette, and, lighting it, took a glance inside to where Atsuko was patiently waiting for an elderly couple to pay before she could leave for the night. On her face was that small smile she used whenever she was tired, and just barely hanging on to reality. She caught his eye and her smile broadened, and slightly mouthed to hold on, to which Shizuo flicked his cigarette down, ground it with his shoe, and walked inside.

"Hey, Shizuo," Atsuko said after thanking the elderly couple for the generous tip, and wishing them a good night. She walked over to him and reached up to give him a slight hug.

"You ready to go home, then?" Shizuo asked after hugging her back with one arm. He had long since gotten used to her hugging him, in fact she hugged him whenever he came to pick her up, but he had only just begun reciprocating even a little.

After Atsuko grabbed her usual sweater and pulled it over her uniform, the two began to make their way home, hers and what Shizuo considered to be his now, too. He seemed his usual self on the outside, but in his head he was trying to figure out how he could ask her, and what would happen after he was rejected. Finally he figured it was time to stop being an idiot, and just ask. "Atsuko, this buddy of mine, Shinra, and his girlfriend are having an anniversary party or something like that. They said I need a date, so do you want to come with me?" As he said this, Shizuo looked the other way, not wanting to see her face when he asked, because if he had the way her grin reached all the way across her face would have made him turn beet red.

Instead of the rejection he expected, Shizuo was side tackled by a girl one-third his size, making him stumble for a moment before grabbing onto her waist to steady them both, with her squeezing on tightly to him. He felt all the air escape from his lungs at the sight of her, for once, her hair was completely out of her face, her cheeks tinted pink, and her eyes were brighter than he'd ever seen before. And Atsuko's view was just as breathtaking. Shizuo's mouth hung slightly agape, his eyes wide with shock and slightly covered by a few stray locks of blond. His glasses were sliding further down the bridge of his nose, but what really caught her attention was his smell, a slight scent of smoke permeated from him, with a stronger smell of his aftershave. It was all him, and it had become her favorite smell ever.

They stayed like that for a while, until time caught up with them and they realized that they were still on a busy sidewalk, and that they were getting a few odd stares here and there. When she realized this, Atsuko nodded her head enthusiastically, and Shizuo breathed a sigh of relief.

The two continued their walk in a companionable silence, both had one arm still wrapped around the other, and they were close enough that Atsuko was able to close her eyes and trust Shizuo to lead her home. Neither had ever felt so content in life, and if they could, they would make the walk last forever. But all good things must come to an end, and once more they found themselves in front of her apartment door. It was understood that Shizuo would again stay for dinner, watch a movie or two with her, and then he would sleep on the couch, either alone or with her, however, was still unclear.

So they entered her-their-apartment, and went through the motions all the way to the two of them putting Hideaki to bed as he insisted they do together, and now it was her night to choose the movie. She decided to go with one of her favorites, Kung Fu Hustle, and as they sat down, Shizuo couldn't help but notice as she snuggled close to him, and, feeling as though he was on a roll put his arm around her shoulders, lightly rubbing in small circles, and making Atsuko sigh and melt even more into him.

The movie came to an end, and Atsuko took the movie from the player and moved back to the couch just as Shizuo began to get situated. Usually when they slept together, they would lie diagonally across, side by side, but this time Shizuo pulled her on top of him, and she willingly-happily-obliged. As she moved down she whispered to him a quiet thank you. And the look she gave him, her eyes half lidded with sleep, a small content smile playing on the corners of her mouth, was the straw that broke the camel's back; he leaned up to her mouth and lightly ghosted his lips over hers, to which she applied more pressure, allowing them to move rather clumsily against each other. Hands fisted in hair both blond and black, minds flew out the window as mouths parted for only seconds at a time, and eyes closed as the world around them dissolved and all that mattered was that the two of them were now receiving in abundance what they had each been wanting for what seemed like ever.

Though the kiss was for only a moment or two, for them, for now, it was enough to let them finally sleep easily, in each other's arms, each with a smile and red cheeks. To the both of them, this was happiness, but they wondered if it would ever be fully developed love? She needed her Knight in Shining Armor, and he knew he needed his energy packed oddity. Maybe by the time of the party, their thoughts and feelings would all be clear, and they could spend more moments like these, and perhaps a few with even more passion, but for now, only time would tell. And at the party, he'd be able to say all that he could to her, and hopefully he would get his quiet life that he'd wanted since high school. Hopefully, a life with this type of happiness everyday.


	9. Chapter 9

Shizuo woke to a feeling of utter contentment, something that was steadily becoming a regular occurrence. Especially since he had fallen asleep with Atsuko on top of him, head on his chest. He slowly blinked his eyes open, tightening his slight grip around Atsuko's small frame. He could really get used to this. He heard her breathing; a strip of hair that was lying across her nose flitted up and down with each breath. Shizuo snapped out of his day dream and couldn't help but wonder when he had become such a softie to anyone. It wasn't his nature to cuddle, it wasn't his nature to really let anyone get close enough to cuddle.

Trying to remember when this had happened to him, he noticed a creak come from the hallway, Hideaki had woken up. Sure enough he came padding barefoot into the living room a moment later, blue pajamas wrinkled and his hair sticking up in an oddly familiar way, just a tad shorter. The boy seemed to notice the two adults on the couch and began beaming from ear to ear, only to be covered by his hand to stifle his laugh.

"Morning Shizuo, sleep well?" Hideaki was a bit too smart for his own good, especially in matters concerning his sister's new found love life. He made sure she never knew of his awareness about her feelings, but Shizuo was a different story, he was just too fun to tease. He blushed almost as much as his sister!

"Kid, aren't you a bit young for this type of thing?" Shizuo asked, for once not getting mad after being caught doing something like this, or anything normal for a man his age. He felt Hideaki knew what was going on, but the fact that he didn't mind his sister having Shizuo over made the older man's ego swell a bit from acceptance.

"Well, I'm not the one participating in PDA…" Hideaki clasped his hands behind his back, swinging back and forth on his heels, and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Okay, that kid definitely knew too much for his own good. Just as Shizuo was about to retort-most likely with just a growl-he felt Atsuko shift above him, grumbling something before twisting out of his arms completely. Before he could react and catch her, she fell to the ground on her butt with a small thud and an irritated oof.

"Morning, sis!" Hideaki yelled, jumping to her side, landing on his knees beside her head. She just groaned in response before turning onto her stomach, hands to her sides.

Usually when Shizuo woke up, she was already up and about either cooking breakfast, tidying up the living room, or both. She was always peppy in the morning, not like how she was acting now. Maybe it was because, for once, he had managed to wake up before she did. If she was awake, Shizuo didn't even want to look at a clock to find out how early he just woke up.

After a few moments of just lying on her stomach, however, she crawled into a ball, pushing her legs underneath her, and getting up like that. She looked from Hideaki to Shizuo to Hideaki, and back to Shizuo a few times before she looked down at herself and leaned her head back and flopping back down, this time on her back. Hideaki burst into a fit of giggles at his older sisters behavior, not at all shocked by it, while Shizuo's eyes had widened considerably, unaware that this was how she always acted when she woke up earlier than she was used to.

"Shizuo, would you mind helping Hideaki get ready? I'm not sure I'm quite ready to tackle the day just. So, doing as she asked, Shizuo got off the couch and Hideaki took his hand to lead him to his bedroom down the hall. Passing by an open door, he could clearly see a light purple painted room with a small bed peeking out from behind the door, reminding Shizuo that though he pretty much lived with the two of them, he had yet to see most of the apartment unit.

Across the hall from what was probably Atsuko's barely used room, Hideaki turned the two of them into another room, this one a light blue, with a big fluffy bed in one corner, and a small wooden desk in the other. There were a few books, a few dinosaur models, car models, and drawings he obviously drew. But on the bedside table was a small picture in a black frame of a little baby being held by what appeared to be a much younger Atsuko, baby Hideaki was waving a fist at the camera, eyes closed, mouth wide open in a still laugh. Atsuko was smiling lightly, but it didn't reach her eyes, she looked more afraid then happy.

"Oh, that was the first picture of me that we have. Atsuko says we were going through hard times, and the person who took the picture was helping us out. I've asked her who it was, but she won't say," Hideaki said, letting go of Shizuo's hand and walking over to a small dresser by the desk. Obviously he didn't notice his sister's fake smile.

So the older man helped the rambunctious boy into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, if he wasn't there, Hideaki would have gone with his last Halloween costume-a vampire. No wonder Atsuko had him help, Hideaki was still a small boy anyway.

AS they left Hideaki's room, the smell of eggs, pancakes, and hash browns hit their noses. So she was finally up and starting her morning routine so fast. They heard her humming along with the radio, this time with a Doo Wop song from America, Atsuko had played them before, this group was called The Ronettes. Shizuo never could understand her love for American music, but he's found that it isn't so bad once you get used to it.

"Morning, boys, now sit down, breakfast is ready, and Hideaki, you and I are going to need it," Atsuko said, scooping some hash browns onto the last plate not on the table, most likely hers.

"Why do we need the energy? We're not going anywhere today, are we? But it's the weekend!" Hideak complained loudly, taking his seat at the table.

"I have to go on the hunt for a dress for me to wear, but I could get your babysitter if you'd prefer," Atsuko said, putting her plat down and going to reach for the phone.

"Wait, why doesn't Shizuo hang out with me instead?" Hideaki's eyes shone craftily, Shizuo could tell he had something planned, and he wasn't so sure it would turn out well. "I mean, it's not like you can't trust him, right? He'll be a great babysitter while your out doing your dumb old girly stuff!"

"Kido, I'm sure Shizuo has better things to do, and it's rude to put people on the spot like that. Besides-"

Shicuo interrupted, holding up his hand, "I don't mind watchin' him I have the day off today anyway, everyone's paid up that needed to." He might regret it later, but he thought maybe he could learn a bit more about Atsuko from her brother while she was away. Maybe he could figure out what made her so…her. That and he wanted to prove to her that he could handle a bit of responsibility, and he hoped he didn't prove the complete opposite.

"Well, if it's okay with Shizuo, it's fine with me. Thank you, Shizuo, I really appreciate it," she blushed, smiling a little, and sat down beside him, finally getting to her breakfast after she gently took his hand for a second, and squeezed before letting go.

Breakfast went normal from there, she told Hideaki about the party she and Shizuo were going to, and that she would get him a babysitter, and she would expect him to be in bed by the time they came back home.

Soon it was time for her to leave, both the boys walking her to the door as she was making sure she remembered everything.

"Hideaki, I want you to be good for Shizuo, if I hear one bad thing from him, well, neither you nor me will be very happy campers, understand?" Atsuko warned as she got down to peck him on the cheek, only for him to wipe it off, grinning playfully before darting off to his room for toys to show to Shizuo and hopefully play with. After he disappeared, she turned to Shizuo, and he gulped, she might be small, but she was very protective of her younger brother.

What she really did surprised him. She had leaned up and given him a kiss on the corner of his mouth, putting one hand on his shoulder to being him closer down to her level. He almost stayed in shock too long, cutting it close to missing his chance to return her sweet gesture. He turned her face more towards his, moving her lips just over his own, her chin in his thumb and forefinger, not wanting to scare her, but wanting just a bit more than a peck.

It was just another short kiss, a bit longer than the last, but it was just as wonderful, if not better. As the pulled away, his eyes opened as he saw that hers were still closed, her cheeks turning red, and a large, goofy smile-which he knew mirrored his own- was planted on her face.

Waking up, she blinked a few times and stuttered out, "Um, I-I'll be home in a little while, it shouldn't take too long to pick out a dress. Be careful, both of you." And with that, she opened the door in front of her and darted down the hallway.

So, now it was just him and Hideaki. He was dead set on learning some new things about Atsuko, he just didn't know how to go about asking. Little did he know was that Hideaki was planning on finding out more about who his big sister liked. He may be young, but he wasn't about to let some guy take advantage of her, and though he liked Shizuo, he had his mission to take care of his sister just like she took care of him.


End file.
